Bring the Books (pt. 1)

I was particularly glad when I first learned that Dr Minnick was devoting an entire session on the discussion of books. Sitting under his ministry for about seven years, I learned much of what I know about good books. Dr Minnick is, without a doubt, a man of one Book, but this does not mean that he doesn't read anything else. Matter of fact he has a very large personal library. What is key is the priority he gives to those books. They all are secondary sources. The Word of God is his primary source.

A preacher is greatly impoverished if he spends the bulk of his time in the secondary sources and not in the primary. This is also true of students and teachers of any subject. This is my way of summarizing what I have learned about books from Dr Minnick and other men who have served as mentors to me. Well, enough of my words, here's the first part in a series of posts on Dr Minnick's lecture entitled "Bring the Books." (Note: The following notes are shared with the express permission of Dr Mark Minnick.)

For a text, he chose 2 Timothy 4:14, "When you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments." (NASB)

Introduction:

C. H. Spurgeon preached on this text on Sunday morning, Nov. 29, 1863. He noted, Even an apostle must read. Some of our very ultra-Calvinistic brethren think that a minister who reads books and studies his sermon must be a very deplorable specimen of a preacher. A man who comes into the pulpit, professes to take his text on the spot, and talks any quantity of nonsense, is the idol of many. If he will speak without premeditation, or pretend to do so, and never produce what they call a dish of dead men's brains--oh! that is the preacher.

How rebuked are they by the apostle! He is inspired, and yet he wants books! He has been preaching at least for thirty years, and yet he wants books! He has seen the Lord, and yet he wants books! He had written the major part of the NT, and yet he wants books!

The apostle says to Timothy, and so he says to every preacher, "Give thyself unto reading." ...Brethren, what is true of ministers is true of all our people. You need to read... We are quite persuaded that the very best way for you to be spending your leisure, is to be either reading or praying. You may get much instruction form books which afterwards you may use as a true weapon in our Lord and Master's service. Paul cried, "Bring the books"--join the cry (Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, IX, 668).

A. There is Little Need To Urge the Need.

1. The Christian Faith is a religion of cultivating the mind (Romans 12:2).
2. The Calling of a Man of God is to be his people's example.

Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. (I Timothy 4:12-16).

I. THE SCRIPTURES MUST HAVE THE PREEMINENCE.
(Exp: The parchments. Word from which we get our word membrane. Refers to manuscripts written on very thin sheep or goat skin--vellum.)
[Quot: Matthew Henry said, No company like good books, especially the book of God (quoted by Warren Wiersbe, Victorious Christians You Should Know, 92).]

We must jealously guard our appetite.

A. Set Aside Anything That Dulls Our Taste For Scripture.
B. Use Varying Approaches.

1. Plow work: the surface. (The Telescopic Approach)
2. Spade work: the depth. (The Microscopic Approach)
3. Memorization.

This is the 1st of six points.

Reflection:

• Are you a reader? If not, why not? God gave us the written Word so that we might read it. If nothing else, we must read the Word. At least in that sense, we must be readers.
• How do you spend your leisure? Read! I don't know about you, but I try to take a book with me, no matter where I'm going. Traffic around here is awful, there's often a chance to read while waiting for traffic to clear. How about waiting in lines? Take a good book. Especially to the DMV.
• Do the Scriptures occupy the highest priority in your reading schedule? What kind of appetite do you have for the Word of God? I must improve here and also with regard to memorization. How about you?
  

Bring the Books (pt. 1)